Safe and Sound
by AshleyMocha12
Summary: When his lips slowly came in contact with hers, the familiarity of it all was too much to handle. They were so warm, so soft, so gentle. It made her realize just how much she had been longing for his lips, just as he was longing for hers. One shot; takes place after Mockingjay.


Katniss slowly trudged downstairs as the aroma of cheese buns filled her nostrils. She came into view of the kitchen and saw Peeta placing a fresh batch on the stove to cool.

She didn't feel Peeta get out of bed that morning, so she was slightly disappointed when she didn't wake up to Peeta's soothing arms cradling her. She drifted past him and headed for the medicine cabinet; her migraine was returning.

"Morning," she whispered, her voice low and hoarse. She was still tired.

"Good morning," he said softly, looking over his shoulder at Katniss. She found the supply of pills that the capitol sent over and popped open the cap. She stared at the bottle of white pills before dumping a bunch in her hand.

Peeta's eyes widened slightly and he made his way over to her, standing in front of her. He grabbed one of the pills from her hand and smiled slightly.

"This should be enough to cure that headache," he said, reading the label on the bottle. Katniss frowned sadly and dumped the pills back into the bottle. She didn't know what tempted her to dump all of those pills into her hand, but then again, she didn't know what made her do a lot of things anymore. It was if she had no control over her life, once again.

She put the bottle back in the cabinet and retrieved a glass, running herself some water. Peeta looked after her as he continued to remove the trays of cheese buns from the oven.

"Could you get out some plates?" Peeta asked as Katniss finished swallowing the tasteless pill. She slowly and weakly made her way over to the cabinet and started pulling out the dark blue plates. As she reached for a third one, she stopped herself abruptly.

It was as if she had went back in time a few years, and instead of standing in the kitchen of the Victors Village, she was back at her house down at the Seam. Instead of retrieving plates for her and Peeta, she was retrieving plates for her, her mother, and Prim. _Prim. _It hurt even to think about her.

Peeta noticed the inactivity and looked over at Katniss, seeing that she was completely off in another world. He put the last batch of cheese buns on the stove and slowly crept over to stand behind Katniss' stiff body.

He cautiously placed a hand on her hip, snapping her out of her mourning. She turned to him sharply and almost dropped the plates that sat behind her on the counter. She relaxed once she realized that it was just Peeta.

"What's on your mind?" he asked softly, looking deep into her gray eyes. She tugged at her bottom lip and allowed her eyes to linger downward. Her eyes sat at the neckline of his shirt, where she could just barely make out the start of the numerous scars that covered his chest. She flinched sadly and looked away.

"Is it safe to say a little bit of everything?" Katniss asked, realizing that she had to answer him sooner or later. He nodded in understanding and just watched as the heartbroken expression on her face said everything that her lips didn't.

"You're thinking about..." Peeta began, pausing to study Katniss' face. Her eyes found its way back to his face.

"You can say her name," Katniss responded quietly. Peeta gave her an apologetic smile as her eyes dropped back to the floor. "Peeta, can I ask you something personal?" Katniss remained looking down at the ground, but she felt his eyes peering into her curiously.

"Of course," he responded. She looked back up at him and took a shaky breath.

"Do you still think about your family?" she asked reluctantly, watching as the ping of pain crossed his features. He allowed his thoughts to set before he responded.

"Yeah, I do," he said, his thoughts beginning to wander just as Katniss' did.

"Sometimes I get so lost in my own sorrow, I forget that I'm not the only one who's suffering," Katniss admitted, clearly ashamed at the fact. Peeta respected her honesty, and didn't find her at fault for anything. He reached up and trailed his fingers down her soft cheek. The feel of his fingertips against her skin raised goosebumps on her arms that never failed to arrive when he touched her like this.

"Could you tell me about them?" Katniss asked after a minute. "I... I never got the chance to get to know them. Maybe you could tell me a little bit about them?" Katniss was genuinely interested in wanting to know anything about Peeta's childhood. It was as if he knew everything about her, but she was at loss for some of the major details in his life. Maybe talking about his family would even make him feel better. Peeta took a deep breath as he collected himself.

"Rye and Brandon were older than me by a few years, but I'm sure you already knew that. Rye was closest to my age, so me and him were closer. He used to sneak down into the kitchen with me and we'd steal cookies from the jar and eat them on the kitchen floor," Peeta said, pausing to laugh. Katniss smiled sadly, watching as another memory occurred to him. "Brandon... I looked up to him. He was so much like my dad, and my dad was my hero.

"My mom on the other hand... she was rough. I was actually sort of scared of her," Peeta admitted, an unreadable expression forming on his face. Katniss didn't doubt that for a second. She remembered that fateful day when Peeta threw Katniss that bread. He had taken a beating from his mother, along with a slur of hateful words.

"Was she ever...abusive?" Katniss wondered. Peeta swallowed thickly as unwanted memories swarmed his mind. Why was it that he could remember those awful thoughts so vividly, and not the sweet memories that him and Katniss shared? It wasn't fair. Katniss studied his face and she instantly knew that she had crossed the line. "I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that."

"It's fine," he reassured. "She was. She was just so _bitter. _I didn't understand where it all came from, because she wasn't always like that. She targeted me most, though. My dad was so oblivious. How was I supposed to tell him what was going on if he was _so _in denial about the things happening around him? That maybe I wasn't as _clumsy _as everyone else made him believe?"

Katniss noticed how his cheeks turned scarlet, and as he continued to express his anger toward his mother, the tears that welled in his eyes. Katniss' face dropped as she immediately brought her hands up to cup his face.

"Hey, it's okay," Katniss soothed, shushing him quietly. Peeta hadn't even realized that a tear had found its way down his cheek. Katniss felt awful for bringing it up.

Peeta sniffed and closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of being so close to Katniss. He knew he should have been hesitant at the circumstance, but he had gotten so much better since what happened with the Capitol, that he didn't mind being as close to Katniss as possible.

"But your dad. He was nice. He brought me those cookies, remember?" Katniss asked, eagerly trying to void Peeta's head of any negative thoughts. It warmed her heart when he rewarded her with a small smile.

"I'll never forget him," Peeta whispered, finally opening his eyes. It made Katniss think of her own father.

"Neither will I," she responded, and Peeta knew that she was speaking about her dad. There was a silence as the two stared at each other, letting their eyes do the talking.

Peeta stared down at her perfectly plump lips, noting how soft and inviting they looked. They hadn't kissed since that day in the sewer, and Peeta anxiously missed the feel of her lips against his. Katniss noticed the look on his face, and began to inch her face closer to his.

"Those cheese buns are getting cold," he said after a minute, his nervousness getting the best of him. Katniss huffed as he retreated over to the numerous trays of cheese buns.

"Wouldn't want _that _to happen, now would we?" Katniss asked, an edge of bitterness to her voice. Peeta felt the transition in her tone. He stared over at her as she sat the two plates on the counter beside him. Katniss knew just as well as Peeta that he had the perfect opportunity to kiss her.

"Everything okay?" Peeta asked, studying Katniss' face.

"Why wouldn't it be?" she responded, avoiding eye contact. Peeta began placing cheese buns on each of their plates.

"Your mood just took a complete U-turn..." Peeta said quietly.

"I'm fine," Katniss said as she picked up her plate from the counter. She turned to walk away, but Peeta grabbed her arm lightly. She turned to face him, not even trying to hide her emotions anymore.

She wanted Peeta in every way possible, and she desperately wanting the feeling to be mutual. She grew to hate the Capitol more and more, if that was even possible, for what they did to him. For what they did to their relationship.

"Did I do something?" Peeta asked sadly. Katniss stared back at him with undeniable pain.

"No. You did nothing," she said, her eyes watering. She wasn't just speaking about that particular moment, but in general. Peeta did absolutely _nothing _but fall in love with the wrong person. The Capitol used their strongest defense by toying with him; it was their fault. They altered with his inner being. They made him into the exact thing that he was eagerly trying to avoid... a piece in their sick, twisted games.

Peeta watched as the tears began to fall from her eyes, and he already knew what was on her mind. It was a sensitive subject that he never enjoyed venturing into, but he had no choice; he hated seeing the girl that he _knew _he loved in tears.

"Please don't cry," he whispered, interlocking both of their hands together. Katniss cleared her throat as a sob threatened to escape her. She was fed up with trying to stay strong; she knew that she was broken beyond repair. The poker face that she wore for so many years was finally torn down, just as Snow anticipated. Just as the entire world watched her become their Mockingjay, their sense of stability, it was finally destroyed by none other than the Devil himself.

"I miss you," Katniss whispered, her heart pounding against her chest. "I miss what we had before the Capitol destroyed it. I... I just..." Katniss said, the words struggling to come out. It was as if she felt them to the fullest, but simply couldn't put them into words. Peeta swiftly pulled her flush up against his chest, causing her breath to hitch. He unlaced their hands and rested them on either side of her waist, staring into her puffy eyes.

"Katniss," he whispered before pressing his forehead against hers. She could honestly say that she felt her heart stop. When his lips slowly came in contact with hers, the familiarity of it all was too much to handle. They were so soft, so warm, so gentle. It made her realize just how much she had been longing for his lips, just as he was longing for hers.

The intensity was overwhelming as Katniss wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling their faces closer together. She deepened the kiss, moaning softly into it. His fingertips began to ghost down her sides, sending lustful sparks throughout her body.

She wanted to feel and taste nothing but Peeta's intoxicating lips. They brought her that comfort that she had been yearning ever since those nights in the cave, and on the beach in the Quarter Quell. Unlike everything else in her life, they were always that solid sense of reassurance that was always there. It felt so good to experience the feeling again.

Much to her dismay, he slowly pulled away to take a breath. He was breathing intensely, as was Katniss. Their bodies were still pressed against each other and she could feel how rapidly their hearts were beating in harmony.

"That felt so good," Katniss whispered, resting her head in the crook of his neck. He tightened his grip on her as a smile formed on his face.

"I love you, Katniss Everdeen. Even through the many hardships that we've faced, we're still here, in this kitchen, holding each other. If that doesn't mean something, then I don't know what does," Peeta reassured, kissing the top of her head. She smiled wholeheartedly, sighing into his neck.

She just wanted to remain in his arms for the rest of her life. No matter how hard it would be along the way, with Peeta's salty flashbacks and the grief that floated among them, she knew then and there that she couldn't imagine any other life without Peeta in it.

He was her rock, her dandelion, her bread boy. He was her missing piece to the puzzle.

**Author's Note: Pleaseee review? I'd love to see your feedback! Thanks, guys! :)**


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